We have just enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one another. For us the meaning of taboo branches off into two opposite directions. On the one hand it means to us, sacred, consecrated: but on the other hand it means, uncanny, dangerous, forbidden, and unclean. A taboo is an expression itself of something in prohibition and restriction. Our combination of holy dread would often express the meaning of taboo. In other cases, objects of the taboo are many: direct taboos aimed at protection of important persons—chiefs, priests, etc.—and things against harm. It is also used to safeguard people of virtue and vulnerability, and protect them from initiation, marriage, and sexual functions—against interference; securing human beings against the wrath or power of gods and spirits. The taboo restrictions are different from religious or moral prohibitions. They are not traced to a commandment of a god, but really they themselves impose their own prohibitions; they are differentiated from moral prohibitions by failing to be included in a system which declares abstinences in general to be necessary and gives reason for this necessity. For instance, people may call an individual “crazy” and spread this throughout the community to place economic sanctions on a person and make their livelihood for that individual nearly impossible. The taboo prohibition lacks all justification and are of unknown origin. Though incomprehensible to us, they are taken as a matter of course by those who are under their dominance.  #RandolphHarris 1 of 3

Sometimes taboos are imposed in order to secure against thieves the property of an individual, his fields, tools, and although this is the 21^st century, even in America, some deem people as their property, and there are disputes of “ownership,” this is why some may label a person, as it is more of a ritual prohibition of a different nature. The violated taboo avenged itself. Wherever the taboo was related to ideas of gods and demons an automatic punishment was expected from the power of the godhead. In other cases, probably as a result of a further development of the idea, society took over the punishment of the offender, whose action has endangered his companions. The violation of a taboo makes the offender himself taboo. The dangers resulting from the violation of a taboo may be exercised through acts of penance and ceremonies of purification. A peculiar power inherent in persons and ghost, which can be transmitted from them to inanimate objects is regarded as a source of taboo. Persons or things which are regarded as taboo may be compared to objects charged with electricity; they are the seat of tremendous power which is transmissible by contact, and may be liberated with destructive effect if the organisms which provoke its discharge are too weak to resist it.  #RandolphHarris 2 of 3

Transgressions of taboos are usually punished automatically in the most severe manner. There are reliable reports that innocent transgressions of such prohibitions have actually been punished automatically. For instance, the innocent offender who had eaten from a forbidden animal became deeply depressed, expected his death and actually died. The prohibitions mostly concern matters which are capable of enjoyment such as freedom of movement and unrestrained intercourse; in some cases, they appear very ingenious, evidently representing obstinences, and renunciations; in other cases, their content is quite incomprehensible, they seem to concern themselves with trifles and give the impression of ceremonials.  Each of us must play a number of roles. These increase in number and complexity as a child becomes an adult, and the rules for the role may change, as well. Some roles carry more prestige than others. We are born into primary groups and choose secondary groups. Part of growing up is transference of loyalty from primary to secondary groups. How an individual reacts to authority figures is determined in large measure by his relationship to his own parents. This relationship is usually generalized to apply to other authority figures. This special place always symbolized Center. It marked the meeting point of Heaven, Earth, and Hell. Mythically, the summit of the cosmic mountain marked both the highest point on Earth and also Earth’s navel, the point at which creation originated.  Thus, the sanctuary allows passage from one realm to another, from the vibrant underground to the controlled ordinariness to the ecstatic transcendent. Here is the realm of the Real. However, the passage, the road, the way leading to the sacred place is always fraught with difficulty. Because of the transition from the profane to the sacred, from the illusion to reality, from time to eternity, from death to life, from chaos to cosmos, the way is perilous.  #RandolphHarris 3 of 3